There is no doubt that the highest level of shipbuilding in this era is that the British have gone to Britain many times to purchase equipment and spent a lot of time and money during the construction process. At the same time, Ellison also referred to the latest armored ships such as the Warrior built in Britain, which is a truly pure iron armored ship.
Another country that knows how to build armored ships is France, but the French have to quote the armored ships. Because the French are clever, they usually install armored ships on wooden hulls to build armored ships. The technical strength is far from the real pure iron to build armored ships.
On the contrary, Americans have built not only pure iron armored ships but also wooden armored ships, and the American pure iron armored ships were built by Ellison. Ellison has a lot of complaints about the French armored ships, and this is not a real future warship. He is determined to continue to build iron warships.
However, after the American War, Lincoln couldn’t wait to dismember the navy. Obviously, the United States could not give Ellison a chance to realize his dream. Zhu Jinglun spared no effort to support Ellison in building an armored ship, which is one of the biggest reasons why Ellison is willing to stay at the University.
Ellison referred to the hull design of the British armored ship, which was much more advanced than the 1,000-ton armored ship he built in the United States, but summing up the experience in the Civil War, Ellison insisted that the battery was more valuable than the side gun. He insisted on adding the design of the rotating battery of the American armored ship to his design.
Another difficulty is that there is still a shortage of technicians. Arsenal has invested heavily in training thousands of technicians for many years, but the technical strength in shipbuilding is still very weak, especially mature shipbuilding workers are scarce.
Ellison’s method is to select skilled mechanical workers from the arsenal for training, and at the same time, recruit a group of skilled workers trained in the war in the United States, and also go to Britain to dig the poacher, go to his native Sweden to find talents, and go to France to recruit personnel.
Among them, it was Zhu Jinglun who was sent to France to recruit workers. He captured Chang Jiejun officers Riyige and Dekebei in Fujian. Both of them were French naval officers. They were able to help Zuo Zongtang build Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, and it proved that they were quite talented.
Zhu Jinglun found that these two men were not purely French naval officers. They both knew some knowledge about ships first, but more importantly, they worked hard by themselves.
Unlike Britain, which has a strong naval system, the French navy does not have a high position in the army, so the French navy often attracts elites with a strong sense of honor to join Japan and Italy. For example, Japan and Italy are both from the bottom, and their families have been poor since childhood, but he is diligent and eager to learn, especially interested in shipbuilding and driving. Later, he became a naval officer because of self-study and did not go to any naval school.
Zhu Jinglun, regardless of their background, decided to take the two men’s abilities from the history and threw them into the shipyard. He casually placed a consultant status to let them fight for themselves. When there were problems in the construction of the armored ship, they volunteered to go to France to recruit personnel. They did their best to recruit a large number of French technical talents. Finally, they combined with the technical talents of Britain, the United States, France and Sweden to complete the manufacture of the first armored ship in the East, and their status was thus highlighted. They have been ordered by the shipyard to supervise production.
The disappointment is that after all, Ellison never thought of building an armored ship in a country with backward basic technology compared with the British at the beginning of design. The tonnage of this ship is much smaller than that of the British Warrior, which is nearly 10,000 tons, while this ship has 5,000 tons.
But this 5,000-ton tonnage is enough to make it proud of most countries. It is more authentic than the French armored ship and five times larger than the American armored ship. It can be said that this ship is the enemy except Britain.
Moreover, in the artillery design, Ellison installed the armored ship with the best artillery in the American Civil War. Of course, it was produced in an arsenal. Two batteries were all 11-caliber front-loaded guns. Of course, the technology of the 11-caliber rear-loaded guns was not as good as that of the British. Few countries in the world can produce such a large caliber, let alone produce them.
In fact, Armstrong’s technology in Britain is not mature enough. After the 1970 s, the British army changed into a front-bore cannon. Did Krupp really make the rear-loaded rifle mature or did the German technology rise? Krupp brought the rear-loaded gun technology to maturity, but it was four years later that the Franco-Prussian War made the German artillery famous in World War I.
A few days later, Zhu Jinglun really attended the trial ceremony of the armored ship and watched the trial bombing performance of the armored ship. Although the construction process was full of hardships, the result was still very satisfactory.
Zhu Jinglun praised the workers’ efforts to get the Arsenal to allocate 100,000 taels of silver to give red envelopes to thousands of workers involved in the construction of armored ships.
Visiting the armored ship demonstration is not without Zhu Jinglun. The Ministry of Industry has also come, and some western diplomats have also come
The ambassadors of those small countries are all right, but the faces of the representatives of Britain and France are not very good. The British have always been sensitive to the navy. They have already equipped 300 warships built in the United States during the war. Now they have the ability to build armored ships. I am afraid it is difficult for Britain to rampage in the East. The British envoys also believe that the former British compromise on opium and coolies is not only a big concession, but they believe that the rapid rise of the naval power is the key reason
However, the mentality of the French is very complicated, especially the attitude of France towards the construction of armored ships is still very contradictory. Many people don’t like this kind of iron shell floating on the water. Their naval thinking is one step behind their neighbors across the Taiwan Strait, and Dongfang University has built and equipped the first armored ship and is an iron warship. If this is the future technology, France has already fallen behind.
They also know that this warship will be the first to go to France to attend the Paris World Expo with the great emperor. Just in a big country, they are already so uncomfortable. I don’t know what kind of response this ship will cause in France when it arrives in France.
Zhu Jinglun also accidentally saw a guest Zeng Guofan at the trial ceremony of the armored ship
Last year, a big demand in negotiations with the Qing court was to let the Qing court dissolve the Xiang army.
This is obviously an impossible task. The Qing court neither dared nor dissolved the Xiang army.
When Xiang was disbanded, they couldn’t hold on to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom alone. Once Xiang abolished the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it immediately flooded into the Yangtze River. More likely, they freed up their hands to force the northern flag and green camp to make a northern expedition, and even the twisting army in Shandong couldn’t stand it, let alone fight the Taiping rebels. It was said that they would not dare to disband Xiang now even if they killed the Qing court Yixin.
On the other hand, even if they dare to disband Xiang, they must have the ability. Xiang is not a regular army. To put it bluntly, this is the private armed forces of the Zeng family. The generals of Xiang listened to Zeng Guofan and did not listen to the Qing court. The salaries of Xiang mainly came from Zeng Guofan’s fundraising from all sides. Of course, the Qing court still had certain restrictions on Xiang. For example, the salaries from various provinces were all approved by the Qing court
However, when you ask him to help you in this army, Zeng Guofan may not have suppressed those arrogant soldiers. It is not an exaggeration to say that the so-called ZTE generals will be in nineteen lakes and Hunan in later generations. Most of the generals in the late Qing Dynasty were trained in Hunan. Once these people felt abandoned by the Qing court, they rebelled, and the Qing court could not stop them.
In fact, it is difficult for Xiang to be dissolved. One thing is to make concessions. After repeated negotiations, it is better not to dissolve Xiang, but to ensure that Xiang is not the enemy of Zeng Guofan, he must go to the big guest house
The Qing court couldn’t control Xiang. How dare you give the commander-in-chief of Xiang to Da Dang as a hostage? The key is that Xiang’s arrogant soldiers are rare and unruly, but in the end, I didn’t expect Zeng Guofan to agree.
Zeng Guofan said that others wanted to travel around Lingnan very much and wrote a letter to the generals of the Xiang army telling them that they would travel to Lingnan on official business, hoping that the soldiers would be self-denial and not make trouble, so Zeng Guofan came to Dadu for half a year.
Section four hundred and twelve Zeng Guofan south incident
Zeng Guofan did not have a lively chaos in the Xiang army for half a year, which made the Qing court feel gratified but even more panic, because they saw that Zeng Guofan’s prestige in the Xiang army was irreplaceable and the Qing court did not have the slightest control over this army. 4.
Of course, Zeng Guofan is neither a fairy nor a saint. Even if he is most admired for his reform and opening up, he is at best touted by literati as half a saint.
Zeng Guofan can’t really make Xiang angry with a letter.
Zeng Guofan kept Xiang stable after him. He used quite a lot of political means. In this process, the Qing court cooperated with Zeng Guofan.
For example, Zeng Guofan sold the Qing court to make up the salary. The Qing court gritted its teeth and borrowed a large sum of foreign loans from various places, especially in the end, to make up for the arrears of Xiang for half a year.
In addition, Zeng Guofan invited Xiang generals to seal the Qing court and adopted them one by one.
Although there are many famous soldiers in the Xiang army, with the early death of Luo Zenan and Li Xubin, there are two pillars in the later period. One is the auspicious word camp led by Zeng Guofan’s younger brother Ceng Guoquan, named after Zeng Guofan’s support to Ji’ an, Jiangxi Province in 156, and the other main force is the Bao Department of Xiang Army, which is known as the Ting Army.
Ceng Guoquan didn’t say that he was Zeng Guofan’s own brother, and he also made great achievements. Almost all of the late battles of Xiang in Anqing Zhantianjing War were commanded by Ceng Guoquan, so his prestige was very high, and he was almost regarded as the natural heir of Zeng Guofan by Xiang Junbu.
Bao’s identity is somewhat awkward. He made his debut earlier in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom when he was still in Guangxi. He led the Sichuan army in the flag general Xiangrong’s hand, but the real trace was in the Xiang army period, but he was not Zeng Guofan’s office but followed Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei Province.
Hu Linyi led Bao to ask for money from his confidants, to give money to important people and to give talents, which made Bao a meritorious military service, and compared with Ceng Guoquan, Bao was a more pure military commander.
Bao was slightly weaker than Ceng Guoquan Anqing War and Tianjing War. Bao and his men went to Jiangxi to continue to crack down on the Taiping rebels’ peripheral forces, such as Huang Jinwen, after the peripheral war cooperated with Ceng Guoquan, such as Ceng Guoquan’s encirclement of Tianjing in the early days and Bao’s participation in the war.
However, in terms of military strength, Ceng Guoquan and Bao are not the same as Ceng Guoquan’s main force. The strength of Jizi Battalion is less than 20,000, and the elite of Bao Department is only 12,000. They are the same pillars.
But their identities are very different. Ceng Guoquan is Zeng Guofan’s younger brother Bao, who followed Xiangrong and followed Hu Linyi in his early years. Although Hu Linyi used to be only Zeng Guofan’s horse, Hu Linyi himself has died. Bao’s position in this army is very embarrassing. He has a strong fighting capacity, and he always feels that he is far away from the Zeng brothers.
In the face of these two men, Zeng Guofan promoted to the Qing court General Bao Zejiang Ning, the governor of Ceng Guoquan and Anhui.
The Qing court readily adopted this suggestion, because they saw that it was Zeng Guofan himself who mixed sand into the Xiang army to balance his brother Ceng Guoquan’s position, which was embarrassing. If Bao was transferred to Ceng Guoquan, Bao himself would not complain, but he would rely on the Tseng brothers’ big tree and be practical.
However, Zeng Guofan pulled out Bao and Ceng Guoquan at the same time, especially Bao, who had previously been stationed as a general, but now he has made an exception and given a Han Chinese Bao status, which is equivalent to a great rise and even stabilized Ceng Guoquan. Because the stationed general is on an equal footing with the governor, the governor appeared in the governor
But the problem is that Ceng Guoquan’s power is much greater than Bao’s, especially Zeng’s brothers’ birthright and brilliant military exploits. It can be said that Zeng Guofan is dead now, and Ceng Guoquan climbs to the top and calls Xiang’s many famous generals to govern more than 100,000 troops, which will certainly support Ceng Guoquan.
Therefore, Ceng Guoquan is bound to fail Bao, and Bao will not show weakness to Ceng Guoquan because of his high status. I am afraid it will be difficult for them to get along in the future.
Dismantling the two pillars of Xiang is tantamount to dismembering Xiang, and letting Ceng Guoquan and Bao divide the country. The Qing court is too happy to think so. Now that Zeng Guofan is out, they are happy to follow suit.
In this way, Xiang’s defense is more than enterprising, and Ceng Guoquan continues to be stationed in Anqing without moving anywhere. It means that he is dissatisfied with this arrangement, and it is difficult to confront the Taiping rebels who have recovered their strength downstream because of his poor strength.
However, it is impossible for Taiping rebels to bypass Anqing Xiang army, so the two armies are deadlocked in the Yangtze River.
This is the current situation in the north. It can be said that Zeng Guofan’s coming to Lingnan has caused Zeng Guofan’s influence in the South Lingnan to a great extent. Obviously, his personal behavior is no longer a private matter but a political event. This is the real power of etiquette, like the dragon king walking in a cloak with rain.
Ceng Guoquan led the other ministries of Xiang Army stationed in Anqing, and the number of troops has reached 40,000, and Bao Shou has also expanded to more than 30,000. Instead, he has been stationed in Guazhou, Jiangbei, facing Zhenjiang Taiping Army across the river to prevent Taiping Army from crossing the river, while others have also restrained more than 50,000 people in Jiangbei green camp and Banner Departments.
Bao Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang in the north of the river are somewhat crowded here. The Qing court ordered Zuo Zongtang to be stationed in Huaiyang, and Li Hongzhang was transferred to the north to suppress the Shandong Nianjun, giving Li Hongzhang the status of a Shandong governor.
Obviously, the Qing court continued to disintegrate the political skills after creating differences for the Xiang army, and continued to raise the status of Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang. Not only did they continue to punish them for their defeat, but Xu Gaoguan and Houlu performed well in the political combination of Cixi and Yixin.
All these political events were born around Zeng Guofan’s south. It can be said that the political group that benefited the most from Zeng Guofan’s south incident was suspected that the great powers disintegrated the threat of the Hunan Legion by taking Zeng Guofan hostage. And that person who benefit the most must belong to Li Hongzhang.
Taking this opportunity, Li Hongzhang suddenly grasped the reality of Shandong, and Shandong is close to Gyeonggi. Obviously, his position in the local forces of the Qing court has become Zeng Guofan, and the second person’s stability is stronger. Ceng Guoquan also left behind Zuo Zongtang, who mastered half of Jiangsu’s old rivals.
Moreover, when Ellison just agreed to build this ship, he also underestimated the difficulty of transforming new technology. As soon as he thought that the equipment of the arsenal was very good, it was similar to that of the American factory, but as the construction went on, he felt that the equipment level was not enough.
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